Ex-Taiwan presidential hopeful sentenced to 17 years for corruption

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Yvette Tan

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Ko, who once ran for the presidency, was sentenced to 17 years in prison

A Taiwan court has sentenced former Taipei mayor Ko Wen-je to 17 years in jail, after finding him guilty of corruption and misuse of political donations.

Once a rising star in Taiwanese politics and a presidential contender, the 65-year-old was accused of accepting more than half a million dollars in bribes involving a real estate deal during his term as mayor, as well as misreporting campaign finances during his run for president in January.

Ko, who is the founder of the Taiwan People’s Party (TPP), has consistently denied wrongdoing.

Huang Kuo-chang, the current chairman of the TPP had previously described the charges against Ko as being politically motivated.

Prosecutors had originally asked for more than 28 years in jail for Ko, saying he had accepted 17.1 million Taiwan dollars ($535,000; £400,000) in bribes.

Ko was arrested in 2024 and has been out on bail since September.

A dark horse in 2024’s presidential election, Ko won more than 25% of the vote - not far behind ruling party candidate Lai Ching-te, who won the race with 40%.

Observers said at the time that even though Ko came in last among the three presidential hopefuls, his sizable showing pointed to voters’ demand for a more pluralistic political landscape beyond the two main parties.

Ko rose to prominence by branding himself as a third choice beyond the two main parties. He criticised the ruling Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) for fanning tensions with Beijing, which sees the self-governed island as its territory, but also blamed the opposition Kuomintang (KMT) for being too deferential.

After his defeat, he vowed not to give up on his political career and was expected to seek the presidency again in 2028.

Ko’s arrest has triggered protests from his allies and supporters, who accused the DPP of using the charges to suppress its opponents.

Ahead of the verdict, supporter Kenny Yang said Ko was “falsely accused” and a victim of “political persecution”.

“Regardless of the outcome, we will continue to support him and help him seek justice - that’s certain,” 52-year-old Yang told news agency AFP outside the court.

“We cannot allow Taiwan to become a society without a sense of right and wrong, without justice.”

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